UFCW 3000 Executive Board Unanimously Endorses Movement to Vote “Uncommitted” in Upcoming Democratic Primary in Washington State

As the largest labor union in Washington State with over 50,000 members, and the largest UFCW local union in the nation, the UFCW 3000’s member-led Executive Board decided on Wednesday February 28th to endorse the effort to have people in the Democratic primary in Washington State vote “uncommitted” on the upcoming ballot.

While Biden has been an ally to workers over the last four years, low-wage workers cannot afford setbacks when it comes to the right to organize and the protections we’ve won during Biden’s time in office. To protect workers, we must give ourselves the best chance to defeat anti-worker forces in the General Election. The entire purpose of a primary election, unlike the general election, is for voters to cast their ballot to reflect their current wish for the party’s nomination.

Currently, many voters, and UFCW 3000 executive board, feel that the best path to have the best nominee, and to defeat Trump, is to vote “uncommitted” on the upcoming March 12 Washington primary. The hope is that this will strengthen the Democratic party’s ultimate nominee to defeat Trump in the General Election in November.

Once the Democratic National Convention takes place, our union is committed to sending staff, members, and resources to any swing state across the nation to support the Democratic nominee to win and defeat Trump.

We need a nominee who can run and beat Trump to protect workers across this country and around the world.

We stand in solidarity with our partners in Michigan who sent a clear message in their primary that Biden must do more to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Biden must push for a lasting ceasefire and ending US funding toward this reckless war.

We have many members who are deeply impacted by the war. The best way to send this message for policy change is through a vote of “uncommitted” on the upcoming March 12 Washington primary.

Learn about safe staffing committees and the new staffing law at our December training

We’re not done speaking out to hold hospitals accountable!

Our coalition’s WA Safe + Healthy team received great feedback from members who attended our first safe staffing training Oct. 19, where we covered an overview of staffing committees, charters, and a timeline of implementation for our safe staffing legislation.

We are looking forward to the next training in December! We’ll demystify what the staffing committee does and how it does its work. With our new staffing law starting to roll out, it’s our job to hold hospitals accountable and get the most out of this new law. Together in our coalition, members of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, UFCW 3000 and WSNA are ready to do the work.

Joint Union Training:
Staffing Committees 101

DECEMBER 14
6-8PM

Join fellow union members from UFCW 3000, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, and WSNA all across the state for this virtual training on Staffing Committees under our new Health Care Staffing Law (SB 5236).

By the end of this training, you will be able to discuss the purpose and development of a team charter, understand the key elements of the hospital staffing committee law, and articulate timelines and dates relevant to the hospital staffing committee. This training is open to all members and we hope to see you there!

Speaking out about unsafe staffing

We have been talking to legislators, and members have been fighting hard to raise the alarm about ongoing staffing issues at our facilities. Right now the spotlight’s on:

• Providence Everett (UFCW 3000) – November 14-19, nurses went on an unfair labor practice strike at the hospital after voting to authorize a strike by 97%, with staffing the top concern at the bargaining table.

• MultiCare Yakima Memorial Hospital (SEIU Healthcare 1199NW) – A month after holding a vigil, healthcare workers at MultiCare Yakima Memorial held an informational picket Nov. 15. They are fighting for wages that meet market standards to attract and retain experienced staff.

• Virginia Mason Hospital (WSNA) – On Oct. 10, hundreds of nurses picketed outside Virginia Mason, calling for a fair contract that will improve staffing and reduce workplace violence.

Members are speaking out in the news! Here’s some of our latest coverage:

“Nurses can no longer stand by and take these unsafe assignments, come to work and be physically, mentally, emotionally abused,” said Kristen Crowder, labor & delivery RN at Providence Everett.

“Honestly, staffing is a revolving door,” said RN Trish Bowman. “I have a difficult time even knowing my own staff on my floor, people are leaving all the time.” 

“I am so sick of having short staffing at work,” [Brad] Rathke said to the crowd Tuesday. 

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Amber Wise

Amber Wise ready to go to work to break down a side of pork!

Amber Wise is truly one of the busiest UFCW 3000 members we have featured here in our Member Stories. Amber is an apprentice meatcutter at PCC Redmond, a mother of two children with her husband Daniel, is serving on the UFCW 3000 Racial Justice Advisory Board and on our Climate Justice Advisory Board, and to top it all off, she is running for public office this November!

Amber moved to Western Washington 10 years ago and began working as a preschool teacher at Harborview Hospital while going to school to get a degree in Childhood Development. It was at Harborview that she learned about the importance of health care workers to the community and the stresses and challenges they face every day. She left work at Harborview in 2020 shortly before the birth of her second child, and delivered the baby at Evergreen Hospital. Amber made connections with the health care workers there during an extended stay, reinforcing what she had learned at Harborview.

It was at about that time that her husband started a small business and Amber knew she needed a job with flexible work hours that could provide health care benefits for her family. She got a job working as a deli clerk at the Redmond PCC which had what she needed. As Amber worked there she met two women in the meat department who recruited and mentored her to apply for a position as an apprentice meatcutter. She started attending classes with the Puget Sound Apprentice Meatcutting Program at the Sno-Isle TECH Skills Center (pictured above) to learn the tools and skills of her new trade. She has almost completed the 2-year program and will be graduating in January of 2024!

As she worked at PCC, she got more involved with her union. Amber’s union rep asked her if she would be interested in running for public office, specifically as a Commissioner for Public Hospital District 2, which covers Evergreen Hospital in Kirkland. Because of the commitment to advocacy and community that she had learned both from working at Harborview Hospital and the care she received from Evergreen Hospital staff, Amber said yes!

Amber then attended the Washington State Labor Council’s Path to Power conference where rank-and-file union workers learn how to run for and win public office. She filed to be a candidate for Public Hospital District 2, and now ballots for the November 7 election have begun arriving around the area! She is hoping to win and become a strong advocate for the patients and workers at Evergreen Hospital and to bring mental health resources to the area.

Want to know which other pro-worker candidates are on the ballot this year? Find our union’s endorsements for the November 7 election here. If you want to hear more about how inspiring Amber is, check out the 9th episode of the UFCW 3000 Podcast, where podcast host and union shop steward Michaela interviews Amber about her journey!

Safe Staffing Bill Scheduled for a Hearing

This week the coalition of healthcare workers from UFCW 3000, WSNA, and SEIU 1199NW, relaunched the WA Safe + Healthy campaign and Senate Bill 5236 to pass safe staffing standards to address the worsening hospital staffing crisis.

Please join healthcare workers from across the state for our first hearing in the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee scheduled for:

Tuesday, January 17 @ 10:30AM
Washington State Capitol - Senate Hearing Rm 1
John A. Cherberg Building and Virtual

(John A. Cherberg Building to the Capitol map link HERE)

Even if you are unable to testify in committee due to time constraints or distance, there are several other ways for members of the Senate Labor Committee hear from you about how unsafe staffing levels have impacted you, your patients, colleagues, and communities across the state.

The more healthcare workers and community our elected leaders hear from, the more likely they are to pass this critical legislation! Next week we will be wearing stickers in the worksites to show our support for safe staffing. Your Union Representatives will be in touch and getting those to workplace leaders for distribution.

Questions, or to get involved in helping lead the fight for safe staffing, please reach out to your Union Representative.

The fight's not over: We’re heading back to Olympia to address the staffing crisis

We haven’t given up the fight for safer staffing. Last legislative session, we made momentous progress in elevating the staffing recruitment and retention crisis to lawmakers, media, and the public. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to secure safe staffing standards in 2022. But we know the crisis hasn’t gotten better – if anything, it’s gotten worse.

We’re gearing up now to take the fight back to Olympia and do what it takes to make sure healthcare workers have the staffing they need to provide excellent care. We look forward to sharing more policy specifics soon. But we need you to keep fighting, too.

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Last year’s success was only possible because of activism from healthcare workers like you. Your voices are powerful. They move legislators to act. Help us make the most compelling case to legislators by sharing your personal staffing story!

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Read what our members have to say about why they’re back in the fight to win safe staffing...

“Nurses and other healthcare workers continue to burn out under the stress of caring for more and more patients. Across the state, we’re seeing long backups in emergency rooms and patients waiting in the ER until there’s a bed and a nurse to take care of them. We’re seeing nurses and other healthcare workers run ragged trying to keep up. That’s why we can’t let up on our fight for safe staffing. We need state-level solutions, which is why we’re headed back to the legislature to win safe staffing in 2023.” -Jacob Garcia, Med-Surg Registered Nurse, Astria Sunnyside

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“We need to do something now to retain our experienced staff and attract new caregivers to the field. We have lost too many co-workers to burnout already. It’s painful to see just how much short staffing is affecting patient care. I’m encouraging my co-workers and all fellow healthcare workers to speak up so state lawmakers can hear directly from those of us on the front lines. Solving this problem is going to require lawmakers to act in the interest of patients and ensure our communities have access to quality healthcare with safer staffing.” -Iliana Ramirez, Medical Assistant, Lourdes Medical Center

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“Safe staffing cannot wait. We are going back to the legislature more united than ever for safe staffing standards for all healthcare workers. We’re asking everyone for their support, and to be ready to talk to their legislators, friends, and family. We are moving forward, now join us!” -Ade Adeyemo, Certified Nursing Assistant, UW Medicine - Northwest Hospital

UFCW 21 Endorsed Candidates

State Auditor
Jeffrey Sprung

Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
Chris Reykdal

7th congressional district     
Pramila Jayapal              

9th congressional district
Adam Smith                   

US Senator
PATTY MURRAY

State Auditor
Pat McCarthy

Govenor
Jay Inslee

Lieutenant Governor
Cyrus Habib

Insurance Commissioner
Mike Kreidler

Attorney General
Robert Ferguson

SECRETARY OF STATE
TINA PODLODSKI

LAND COMMISSIONER
Hilary Franz
 

Seattle Initiative 124: Yes

Prop 1 Transit: Yes

State initiatives:

1433: Yes

1464: Yes

1501: Yes

732: No

Lisa Wellman, State Representative, Legislative District 41

Derek Stanford, State Representative, Legislative District 1, Position 1

Andrew Billings, State Senator, Legislative District 3

Marcus Riccelli, State Representative, Legislative District 3, Position 1

Timm Ormsby, State Representative, Legislative District 3, Position 2

Jason Ritchie, State Representative, Legislative District 5, Position 1

Lynnette Vehrs, State Representative, Legislative District 6, Position 1

Sharlene Lichty, State Representative, Legislative District 6, Position 2

Robert Hasegawa, State Senator, Legislative District 11

Zachary Hudgins, State Representative, Legislative District 11, Position 1

Steven Berquist, State Representative, Legislative District 11, Position 2

Tim Probst, State Senator, Legislative District 17

Samuel Hunt, State Senator, Legislative District 22

Beth Doglio, State Representative, Legislative District 22, Position 2

Kevin De Wege, State Senator, Legislative District 22

Mike Chapman, State Representative, Legislative District 24, Position 1

Jamie Smith, State Representative, Legislative District 25, Position 1

Michelle Chatterton, State Representative, Legislative District 25, Position 2

Jeannie Darneille, State Senator, Legislative District 27

Laurie Jinkins, State Representative, Legislative District 27, Position 1

Jacob Fey, State Representative, Legislative District 27, Position 2

Marisa Peloquin, State Senator, Legislative District 28

Mari Leavitt, State Representative, Legislative District 28, Position 1

Christine Kilduff, State Representative, Legislative District 28, Position 2

Michael Pellicciotti, State Representative, Legislative District 30, Position 1

Ruth Kagi, State Representative, Legislative District 32, Position 2

Mia Gregerson, State Representative, Legislative District 33, Position 2

Eileen Cody, State Representative, Legislative District 34, Position 1

Joseph Fitzgibbon, State Representative, Legislative District 34, Position 2

Irene Bowling, State Representative, Legislative District 35, Position 1

Noel Frame, State Representative, Legislative District 36, Position 1

Michael Sells, State Representative, Legislative District 38, Position 2

Kirk Pearson, State Senator, Legislative District 39

Frank Chopp Jr, State Representative, Legislative District 43, Position 2

John Lovick, State Representative, Legislative District 44, Position 1

Roger Goodman, State Representative, Legislative District 45, Position 1

Gerald Pollet, State Representative, Legislative District 46, Position 1

Jessyn Farrell, State Representative, Legislative District 46, Position 2

Patricia Kuderer, State Representative, Legislative District 48, Position 1

Sharon Wylie, State Representative, Legislative District 49, Position 1

Monica Stonier, State Representative, Legislative District 49, Position 2

Hans Dunshee, Snohomish County Councilmember 

*This list may not be the complete list of endorsed candidates.  For full list please see the 2016 Washington State Labor Council Endorsement list website